help with setup (1 Viewer)

[dusty]

Im still new to this scene, so please give me a quick hand. I have a sony wega, panasonic cv51, and a panasonic dd dts reciever, and a sony rv-2100 remote. Im wondering if there are any tips or tweaks that people can recommend so i get the best picture/sound from my system. I just read that the dvd player defaults to bitstream off and im not sure what that means.. im just worried that things like this could get in the way of getting the best out of my gear. im using component video cables and also optical audio cables..
also what are some good movie titles to get started with that will shake the room?
thanks in advance!
------------------
Link Removed

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Dusty.
It sounds like you already have the recommended hook-up. Component video cables is the best way to go.
You might buy/rent Avia or Video Essentials to help you adjust the brightness/contrast.
As far as sound goes, you are also fine with the optical cable. I have used both coaxial and optical and cannot hear any difference.
A question: does the display on your Panisonic receiver tell you "Pro-Logic", "Dolby Digital", and "DTS"? This is your reassurance that things are configured correctly.
Get a DVD that includes both a ProLogic track (almost all do) and a DD track.
Start the movie in ProLogic mode and after a minute, hit the "audio-change" on the DVD remote to kick it into using the Dolby Digital track. Does the receiver display change?
Movies to shake the walls: Well, do you have an external sub-woofer? This is usually required for wall-shaking.
Some scenes to try are:
- The opening chapter of Toy Story 2
- The menu system on Godzilla
- The ice-fields scene on Titan AE
- The tank-battle scene at the end of Saving Private Ryan
One of my favorites for sound is the "Agressive Tendancies" chapter of Star Trek:Insurrection. Que this up, turn OFF the TV and try and follow the sounds as they swirl around your speakers. (This is my usual answer to the un-initiated when they ask: "But why do you need so many speakers?").
Good Luck.

 

[dusty]

Thanks Bob,
I appreciate your response. As far as the bitstream and all that goes, what is your take? the DVD player has the DD/DTS decoder on-board I believe. It just seems to me that there are so many variations on the settings you can come up with, but Im sure once I get my hands dirty with it, i will figure it out.
I have the panasonic sc-ht290d.. it has a powered sub, and everything else pretty much.. it will sound 1000000x better than what i have now, so i cant really complain!
as for the movies, thanks for the recommendations! I want to check out Saving private ryan with the DTS track!!
------------------
Link Removed

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Does your DVD player have a built-in DD/DTS decoder? If so, it will have 6 analog plugs out the back for left/center/right/r-rear/l-rear/lfe.
To use the decoder in the dvd player (not recommended) you need to run 5 analog cables to your recevier or outboard 5-channel amp.
The "better" way is to run a digital connection (optical or coaxial) from the DVD player to the recevier.
This uses the decoder chips in the receiver which tend to be better than the ones in the DVD player.
Since you mentioned you are using an optical cable, I think you are already using the prefered hook-up.
This "bitstream" thing is confusing to me.
Are you getting ANY sound when you play a CD/DVD in the player? If so, you have enabled the digital output (the "bitstream") on the DVD player.
The next question is: does the receiver know to look for all the different types of "bitstream" from the DVD player?
There are 3 different types of "bitstreams" a DVD player can produce:
- PCM: this is the bitstream a ordinary audio CD produces
- DD: This is the Dolby Digital bit stream
- DTS: This is a similar, but different compression than the Dolby Digital bitstream
If your receiver has a "AUTO" setting for the optical input, this is what you should be using.
Try the test I suggested, and then add to it by inserting a DTS DVD and toggling between ProLogic, DD, and DTS sound tracks and see if different indicators light up on your receiver. This is your confirmation that things are working correctly.

 

[John Chow]

Assuming that your Panasonic dvd player is similar to mine, there should be a digital audio output menu option. Under that, there is a setting for both DTS and Dolby Digital. You're going to want both of these set to Bitstream instead of PCM, that way it sends the full information to the receiver, and you can let the receiver take care of the decoding.

 

[dusty]

Ahh GREAT info guys! This is exactly what I was looking for. I am using the optical cable, so my reciever is taking care of the decoding.